Each spring, a group of environmental design honors students defend their theses to their dedicated thesis committee. Afterward, the Honors Council meets and awards Latin honors at the levels of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. 

Projects worthy of the honors designation will be works of creative expression, including design, research, and theoretical work that demonstrates a high level of intellectual and creative ability and analytical skills. Completing an honors project allows students to investigate topics of interest, provides the opportunity to work closely with a faculty thesis chair and creates a culminating intellectual experience that produces both a meaningful project and an invaluable learning experience. The Honors project represents the climax of their college careers.

Congratulations to the following students graduating with Latin honors!

Balancing Global Building Standards and Contextual Design: A Critical Regionalist Analysis of the WELL V2 Building Standards Impact on Design and Wellbeing

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Grassland Restoration: Exploring best practices and interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of grassland restoration

Reinforcing Appalachia

Briki: Re-Brick Your Dorm

The Green Paradox: Gentrification & Greenness in the Mile High City

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The Program in Environmental Design hosted its annual Open House exhibition on Dec. 9, 2022. The Open House is a building-wide exhibition of design and research produced by students and faculty during the fall semester. The event was established in 2018 to encourage the connection between students, their peers, alumni and friends, as well as the Boulder community.  

Couldn’t make it this year? Watch the video reel and view the photo gallery.

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Each spring, a group of environmental design honors students defend their theses to their dedicated thesis committee. Afterward, the Honors Council meets and awards Latin honors at the levels of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. 

Congratulations to the following students graduating with Latin honors.

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CU Boulder alums and 2021 Environmental Design Alumni Award recipients Ann Dang and Adam Harding will address the ENVD class of 2022 during the recognition ceremony on the evening of May 5.

Learn more about this year’s speakers:

Ann Dang, Environmental Design 2021 Young Designer Award recipient, received her Environmental Design degree in 2019. During her time at ENVD, she was involved in the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), Student American Society of Landscape Architects (SASLA), Designers without Boundaries (DWB) and the Peer Mentorship program. Additionally, she joined the Spatial Justice Design Collective (SJDC) to produce exhibits and creative works tackling race and gender inequities in architecture.

After graduation, Ann worked full time at LOA Architecture and was more involved in SJDC where she became aware of the lack of diversity in architecture. The scarcity of minorities in architecture affirmed her ambition to start her own architecture firm in the future and become an advocate for social equity within the design industry.

Ann received a full-ride Sam Fox Ambassadors fellowship to pursue her master’s degree in architecture at Washington University in St. Louis but has decided to take a break from graduate school to prioritize her mental health and wellbeing. Currently, she is working full time at Arcturis, a multi-disciplinary design firm that is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise. Outside of work, she is a part of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I) committee for AIA St. Louis. The J.E.D.I committee provides programming, training, volunteer and community engagement opportunities to increase diversity and equity within the architecture field.

Adam Harding, Environmental Design 2021 Distinguished Alum, is a prolific architect with a reputation for story-driven design. A leader of both his firm and his community, Adam has served his clients, the public and the profession of architecture. His work is transcendent; guiding his clients every step of the way. He creates meaningful design in the residential, commercial, municipal and hospitality market sectors in Colorado and across the country.

Adam joined Roth Sheppard Architects upon graduation from the University of Colorado Boulder with a Bachelor of Environmental Design in 2004 and now, 18 years later, he is a second-generation firm owner. As a Partner and the design visionary of his firm, he has led his firm through a cultural transformation; clearly defining its mission, goals and core values that foster professional development, individual growth and a commitment to design excellence.

Adam and his firm have been recognized with design and honor awards at a local, regional, and national level. In 2021, Adam received a National Young Architect of the Year Award from the American Institute of Architects and Roth Sheppard Architects was named AIA Colorado’s Firm of the Year.

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Sounds of cheer and conversation filled ENVD 134, hallways and studios in the Environmental Design (ENVD) building last Friday, as ENVD opened to the public for a full-building exhibit, showcasing faculty and student work from the fall semester.

Almost every nook and cranny of the building was covered with architecture, product design, landscape architecture and sustainable planning and urban design projects. Poster boards were pinned from the floor to ceilings and structural models, digitally fabricated lamps and other interactive design concepts lined walls and blanketed draft tables.

“Having the ENVD building bustling with creative, excited students sharing their work with parents, family and friends exemplifies ENVD culture at its best,” said Maryanne Fantalis, ENVD instructor.

The Program in Environmental Design launched the Open House event in December 2018, to celebrate accomplishments in and outside the classroom. The event encourages peer-to-peer connections and introduces networking opportunities with alumni, the local design industry, and the CU and Boulder communities.

“It’s critically important for students in the first five to six semesters to see the work of peers ahead of them in the Program,” said Neal Evers, ENVD Instructor. “It raises the bar of accomplishment and is critical to establish a shared culture of design excellence.”

Throughout the evening, students and guests were exposed to all four design disciplines, which took over several floors of the building. Process, techniques and stories were shared across upper-division students to lower-division students.

“My favorite part of the event was admiring the models on display,” said Julia Rodriguez, a junior in architecture. “Every model was so beautiful and unique, it was just so amazing to see the different outcomes of so many design students.” 

Fantalis enjoyed viewing the innovative design concepts developed by students in the environmental product design major. Stationed in the center of ENVD 134, students in the intermediate design studio, instructed by Jared Arp, set up a student-made pop-up shop called EPOP. The EPOP shop was established in December 2019 to feature products designed and fabricated by current students.

“I bought an adorable [laser-cut] cactus to brighten my office,” Fantalis shared.

As with most in-person events and activities interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, there were three ENVD Open House exhibits that were lost in the “pandemic time warp.” Brandon Anderson, an ENVD architecture instructor, was unaware the program had missed that many Open House events.

“I think this has had an impact on the culture of ENVD and the connection between faculty and students,” Anderson commented.

For Emily Perry, ENVD’s newly welcomed professional academic advisor, this event was quickly recognized as a meaningful one for both students and faculty to have their work “admired, shared and celebrated.”

“I can imagine, after missing three Open Houses, this event is symbolic of the program returning to long-adored traditions and celebrations,” Perry said.

Perry was right. Even though the fall semester had been held in person for a little under five months leading up to last Friday evening, it was the overwhelming feeling of just “being back” that filled the atmosphere that night.

“It was exactly what our program needed after three grueling semesters spent mostly alone,” said Jade Polizzi, ENVD senior instructor. “Congratulations to our whole department for ending the semester strong. It felt good to celebrate this accomplishment together.”

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Instructor: Jade Polizzi

Students in the Introductory Techniques for Design course held reviews last week, showcasing models for their Duplo blocks, rendered sketches and paraline drawings. Check out a few project examples from ENVD students, Riley Mehan and Emma Friday.

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Last month, the Environmental Design honors thesis students took part in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Sidewalk Symposium. The Sidewalk Symposium encourages undergraduates to create and share their research and creative presentations with chalk on campus walkways. 

Passerbys could view the honors thesis sidewalk chalk art and graphics in the Visual Arts Plaza, an area tucked between the ENVD building and the UMC. 

"This was a great opportunity to display some of the novel undergraduate research in ENVD to the greater CU Community," ENVD Instructor Danielle Bilot said.

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As we begin the new semester, we are excited to welcome Jesse van Horne and Christy Rogers as instructors for our landscape architecture track. We are also thrilled to announce that Caleb Wright will be our new Manager of Academic Support Centers. In addition to our recent hires, we are in the process of hiring new staff positions for a finance, data analytics & data assessment manager, an academic advisor and an academic coach.

This fall, the Program will say farewell to instructors Betsy Johnson, Alexandra Beach and Justin Bellucci, as well as assistant professor Danielle Rivera, associate professor Susannah Drake, recruitment & advising coordinator Fernando Martinez and academic coach Alexis Harper. Their contributions to ENVD will be everlasting, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

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The Environmental Design First-Year Experience (FYE) Program launches on Thursday, August 26. The launch event will welcome and cover how the new program will work for all incoming ENVD students. Students will also learn how they can become eligible for a studio supplies scholarship. 

First-year incoming and transfer students will automatically be enrolled as part of the FYE program, which will provide opportunities for design mentorship, strengthening academic confidence within the design program and assist in building out a network of connections amongst peers and the ENVD community.

Attend the launch event on Thursday, Aug. 25, 5:15 p.m. in ENVD 134.

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This fall, Environmental Design introduces a new student support center, the Design Support Hub, for students to obtain assistance with homework, computer software and course concepts. Help with everything from technical requirements in Adobe to understanding site manipulation is also available. The center is open to all class levels, from first-year students to seniors. It is managed by Emily Greenwood, ENVD landscape architecture instructor, and Paul Chinowsky, ENVD director. 

The Design Support Hub can be found on the third floor, across from the Digital Media Center. Design support specialists, representing all majors, will be available Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday (remote), 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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